His True Destiny: Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Corruptor The five years pretty much flew by and before Reaver knew it, he was standing in Bastion watching the sky becoming darker by the minute. All around him, the people of Bastion were evacuating, in a panicking fashion, except for several citizens who stubbornly refused to leave. A fear that Reaver hadn’t felt in years returned to him as the Corruptor’s corrupted minions attacked. He watched as those who had not left the city soon fell under their wrath, before defending himself as he made his way to Kraken’s Jaw. There he would be ready to help Theresa if she needed it. He would also be able to see the Corruptor’s downfall. As he ran down to the beach, he wielded Avo’s Tear, doing enough damage to the corrupted balverines and hobbes to allow him to escape. Along the way, he jumped over streams of corruption swiftly covering the land. Along the way, he came across a scared horse. It stopped before Reaver, neighing nervously. ‘Seren?’ Reaver muttered, recognising the horse. She neighed. Without hesitation, Reaver jumped onto the horse and reined her back down towards the beach. She followed his instructions promptly and with ease, as though dodging corruption was no big deal. When he got down to the beach, all he could see was rivers of black corruption. He sat there on the horse, looking around, wondering what to do next, when he saw white light slowly emitting from the Spire. And then, the Spire exploded with warm, white light, making Reaver shield his eyes. When he was able to see again, there wasn’t any corruption in sight. It was as though it had never been there. At least, that would have been so if the wreckage it had made wasn’t still presence. The wreckage was the only evidence of the invasion. Reaver turned his attention to the Spire and felt his jaw drop. It had been destroyed. In fact, it now resembled the ruins it had been before Lucien had rebuilt it. A very old and almost forgotten emotion suddenly returned to Reaver as he stood there looking at the Spire ruins. The emotion of dread and fear filled Reaver as he began to think about Theresa and her wellbeing. Driven by these emotions, Reaver charged Seren down to the beach to search for Theresa. When he got down there all he saw was Gabriel standing there, looking out to the sea, with a red blindfold in his hand; Theresa’s blindfold. Reaver felt his stomach drop. ‘Gabriel?’ he said as calmly as he could, dismounting Seren. Gabriel turned to look at the old Hero. Reaver gasped. The boy was now blind! ‘Seren?’ Gabriel gasped. He then ran towards the horse and threw his arms around her neck. ‘Thank goodness you are alright!’ he cried. ‘You can see her?’ Reaver questioned. ‘Yes. I – I now have the Seer Theresa’s abilities,’ he said quietly. ‘I am now the new protector of Albion. The new Seer protector.’ Reaver’s indifferent mask began to fade away as his fear began to increase. Was the boy saying what he thought he was saying? ‘What do you mean by new?’ Reaver demanded, his voice shaking. ‘She sacrificed herself,’ Gabriel answered miserably. ‘She was in the Spire, with the Corruptor, when the Spire exploded.’ Reaver just stared at the kid before him as he comprehended Theresa’s fate. He then did something that he had not done since the destruction of Oakvale; he cried hysterically. He fell to his knees and mourned his sister’s death. He never thought that his sister’s death would affect him so, but it did. He felt the same pain he felt when Emily died. It was a pain that he never thought that he would ever feel again. ‘You knew Theresa well, didn’t you?’ asked Gabriel. ‘Better than anyone,’ Reaver sobbed as he tried to pull himself together. ‘She was my sister.’ ‘Your sister? Than that means you are the Hero of Oakvale!’ ‘Ex Hero.’ ‘No, I don’t think you are,’ Gabriel said seriously. ‘Albion will always need a Hero.’ ‘Then she better start making them,’ Reaver replied bitterly, snatching his sister’s blind fold away from Gabriel, before storming off. He was sad and angry at the same time, and it was all because of Theresa’s death. How could she leave him? Why did she have to do the selfish and noble thing for the first time in her life, which resulted in her life? How could she do that do him? He was now the last of his family left. He didn’t even have any descendants left. He now felt lost, but deep down; he knew that he would find his way again. He knew that his work was not finished in Albion for he was still alive. His true destiny was yet to be revealed. THE END Written: 26 June 2013